# γαστήρ
## Ancient Greek
### Etymology

Traditionally derived from a dissimilation of an unattested earlier *γρᾰστήρ (*grăstḗr, “devourer”), from γρᾰ́ω (grắō, “to gnaw, eat”) +‎ -τήρ (-tḗr, agent noun suffix). If so, Sanskrit ग्रस्तर् (grastar, “(astronomy) eclipser (originally "devourer")”) would be an exact cognate; for a semantic parallel to the Sanskrit term, compare Chinese 蝕 / 蚀 (shí, “to corrode, eclipse”), which is derived from 食 (shí, “to eat”).
However, Beekes is skeptical of the semantics (it is somewhat of a stretch to consider the belly as an "eater"), and tentatively prefers a derivation from *gnt-tēr, with *-tt- > -st-, comparing γέντα (génta, “intestines”) (which itself is of unclear origin).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɡas.tɛ̌ːr/ → /ɣasˈtir/ → /ɣasˈtir/
* (5th BCE Attic) IPA: /ɡas.tɛ̌ːr/
* (1st CE Egyptian) IPA: /ɡasˈte̝r/
* (4th CE Koine) IPA: /ɣasˈtir/
* (10th CE Byzantine) IPA: /ɣasˈtir/
* (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA: /ɣasˈtir/

### Noun

γᾰστήρ • (găstḗr) f (genitive γᾰστέρος or γᾰστρός); third declension
* paunch, belly, hollow, wide part
** 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 13.372: […]· οὐδ᾽ ἤρκεσε θώρηξ χάλκεος, ὃν φορέεσκε, μέσῃ δ᾽ ἐν γαστέρι πῆξε.
** belly (for craving food); gluttony
*** 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 6.133: […]· κέλεται δέ ἑ γαστὴρ μήλων πειρήσοντα καὶ ἐς πυκινὸν δόμον ἐλθεῖν· […] […]; kéletai dé he gastḕr mḗlōn peirḗsonta kaì es pukinòn dómon eltheîn; […]
*** 750 BCE – 650 BCE, Hesiod, Theogony 26: […]· ποιμένες ἄγραυλοι, κάκ᾽ ἐλέγχεα, γαστέρες οἶον, ἴδμεν ψεύδεα πολλὰ λέγειν ἐτύμοισιν ὁμοῖα, […]
** sausage, haggis
*** 423 BCE, Aristophanes, The Clouds 409:ὀπτῶν γαστέρα τοῖς συγγένεσιν κᾆτ᾿ οὐκ ἔσχων ἀμελήσας, […]
* (anatomy) womb
** 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 6.58:τῶν μή τις ὑπεκφύγοι αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον χεῖράς θ’ ἡμετέρας, μηδ’ ὅν τινα γαστέρι μήτηρ κοῦρον ἐόντα φέροι, μηδ’ ὃς φύγοι, […] tôn mḗ tis hupekphúgoi aipùn ólethron kheîrás th’ hēmetéras, mēd’ hón tina gastéri mḗtēr koûron eónta phéroi, mēd’ hòs phúgoi, […]
** 6th century BC, Theognis of Megara, Elegies 305:Τοὶ κακοὶ οὐ πάντες κακοὶ ἐκ γαστρὸς γεγόνασιν, […] Toì kakoì ou pántes kakoì ek gastròs gegónasin, […]

#### Usage notes

The root of γᾰστήρ (găstḗr) contains an ε (e) between τ (t) and ρ (r) which is often syncopated, leading to alternative forms such as genitive singular γᾰστέρος (găstéros) and γᾰστρός (găstrós), dative singular γᾰστέρῐ (găstérĭ) and γᾰστρῐ́ (găstrĭ́), dative plural γᾰστῆρσῐ (găstêrsĭ) and γᾰστρᾰ́σῐ (găstrắsĭ). The syncopated form is generally more common in forms with long suffixes, such as the aforementioned. The inflection table below lists the more common forms.

#### Derived terms

* γᾰστεροπλήξ (găsteroplḗx)
* γᾰ́στρᾰ (gắstră)
* γᾰστραίᾱ (găstraíā)
* γᾰστρᾰφέτης (găstrăphétēs)
* γᾰστρῐ́δῐον (găstrĭ́dĭon)
* γᾰστρῐ́δουλος (găstrĭ́doulos)
* γᾰστρῐ́ζω (găstrĭ́zō)
* γᾰστρῐ́μᾰργος (găstrĭ́mărgos)
* γᾰστρῐ́ον (găstrĭ́on)
* γᾰ́στρῐς (gắstrĭs)
* γᾰστροβᾰρής (găstrobărḗs)
* γᾰστροβόρος (găstrobóros)
* γᾰστροειδής (găstroeidḗs)
* γᾰστροιῐ̈́ς (găstroiĭ̈́s)
* γᾰστροκνήμη (găstroknḗmē)
* γᾰστρολογῐ́ᾱ (găstrologĭ́ā)
* γᾰστρομᾰντεύομαι (găstromănteúomai)
* γᾰστρονομῐ́ᾱ (găstronomĭ́ā)
* γᾰστροπῑ́ων (găstropī́ōn)
* γᾰστρόπτης (găstróptēs)
* γᾰστρορρᾰφῐ́ᾱ (găstrorrhăphĭ́ā)
* γᾰστρόρροιᾰ (găstrórrhoiă)
* γᾰστροτόμος (găstrotómos)
* γᾰστροφόρος (găstrophóros)
* γᾰστροχᾰ́ρῠβδῐς (găstrokhắrŭbdĭs)
* γᾰστρόχειρ (găstrókheir)
* γᾰστρώδης (găstrṓdēs)
* γᾰ́στρων (gắstrōn)
* ἐγγᾰστρῐ́μᾰντῐς (engăstrĭ́măntĭs)
* ἐγγᾰστρῐμᾰ́χαιρᾰ (engăstrĭmắkhairă)
* ἐγγᾰστρῐ́μῡθος (engăstrĭ́mūthos)
* ἐγγᾰ́στρῐος (engắstrĭos)
* ἐγγᾰστρῑ́της (engăstrī́tēs)
* ἐγγᾰστρόχειρ (engăstrókheir)
* ἐκτρᾰπελόγᾰστρος (ektrăpelógăstros)
* ἐπῐγᾰ́στρῐος (epĭgắstrĭos)
* ἑτερογᾰ́στρῐος (heterogắstrĭos)
* κᾰτᾰ́γᾰστρος (kătắgăstros)
* κᾰτεπῐγᾰ́στρῐος (kătepĭgắstrĭos)
* λεπτόγᾰστρος (leptógăstros)
* ὁμογᾰ́στρῐος (homogắstrĭos)
* προγᾰστρῐ́δῐος (progăstrĭ́dĭos)
* προγᾰστρῐκός (progăstrĭkós)
* προγᾰ́στρῐον (progắstrĭon)
* σῡ́ργᾰστρος (sū́rgăstros)
* ταυρογᾰστρῐκός (taurogăstrĭkós)
* ῠ̔πογᾰστρῐ́ζομαι (hŭpogăstrĭ́zomai)
* ῠ̔πογᾰ́στρῐον (hŭpogắstrĭon)
* ῠ̔πογᾰ́στρῐος (hŭpogắstrĭos)
* ῠ̔πογᾰστρῐ́ς (hŭpogăstrĭ́s)

#### Descendants

* ⇒ Catalan: gastro-
* → English: gaster, ⇒ gastro-
* ⇒ French: gastro-
* ⇒ German: gastro-
* ⇒ Italian: gastro-
* → Latin: gaster
* ⇒ Portuguese: gastro-
* ⇒ Spanish: gastro-

### References

* ↑ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “γαστήρ”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 262

### Further reading

* “γαστήρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “γαστήρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
* “γαστήρ”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
* γαστήρ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
* Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
* γαστήρ in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
* γαστήρ in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
* “γαστήρ”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
* G1064 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
* Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited. appetite idem, page 35.belly idem, page 72.maw idem, page 518.paunch idem, page 599.stomach idem, page 819.womb idem, page 987.